How do you feel about the sound quality?

[Citizen]

Actually, they used three speakers (2 full-range and 1 woofer). One of the full-range speakers is in the bottom of the cabinet.

I don't think it matters how many speakers mono audio is coming from, it's still mono. Though admittedly I'm not a sound technician. But I'm still pretty sure a speaker trick wouldn't qualify the audio from a mono soundboard as true stereo.

 

[shogun00]

I don't think it matters how many speakers mono audio is coming from, it's still mono. Though admittedly I'm not a sound technician. But I'm still pretty sure a speaker trick wouldn't qualify the audio from a mono soundboard as true stereo.

No, but with the woofer (right speaker) only able to produce low pitch sounds compared to the two full-range speakers. It creates an artificial like stereo. At least, that's what it sounds like to me when I play my Rollergames.

 

[trash80]

I don't think it matters how many speakers mono audio is coming from, it's still mono. Though admittedly I'm not a sound technician. But I'm still pretty sure a speaker trick wouldn't qualify the audio from a mono soundboard as true stereo.

Dual mono can be very similar in listener experience to true stereo. And in the case of mono samples stored in a ROM (where storage space was very limited) and being played from two/three speakers from the location that they are typically located at in a pinball cabinet, any perceived difference from a dual mono "fake stereo" to true stereo signal would be negligible.

The effect used on mono signals to create "digital or fake stereo" is known as ADT and was first used at Abbey Road in the early 60's and is still used today.

 

[trash80]

Yeah, they coined the term "digital stereo". Not the form of stereo (aka true stereo) that we are are familiar with, but a clever way in using the sound card and ROM chips to make it sound like stereo.

This isn't true. The Data East cabinet produces true stereo. The center speaker under the playfield runs in mono that reproduces the full sine wave. In the backglass the left speaker reproduces the left sine while the right speaker reproduces the right sine (which is exactly what "true stereo" is). The ROM contains stereo information.

If you don't have access to a real table where you can run the sound test and hear for yourself, you can get this information from readily available service manuals at a few different places on the internet.

 

[msilcommand]

I don't think it matters how many speakers mono audio is coming from, it's still mono. Though admittedly I'm not a sound technician. But I'm still pretty sure a speaker trick wouldn't qualify the audio from a mono soundboard as true stereo.

Correct. Mono means the same sound comes out of every speaker.

If you had control of the mix, you could use the Martin/Emerick trick used with The Beatles, and pan certain sounds hard left or hard right to give the illusion of stereo. If you didn't know the Beatles did this, get your hands on anything pre White Album and listen in headphones. Revolver in particular was genius.

Edit: for the record (pun intended) the White Album had some mono releases, but was released only in Stereo in the USA.

 

[Gord Lacey]

The minute you start panning sounds from left to right, it's no longer a mono track (unless the panning is being done by you, at the device that's playing back the audio).

 

[msilcommand]

The minute you start panning sounds from left to right, it's no longer a mono track (unless the panning is being done by you, at the device that's playing back the audio).

Umm